Chapter Twelve
Bit stared at Oden. She didn’t know what to say to him in return. She didn’t even know how she felt about the kiss. Her body was plenty happy with it, but her emotions were another story entirely. How, though, could she explain all this to Oden, especially with three grumpy engineers looking on and three dead bodies proclaiming the horrors they had just experienced?
In an effort to avoid any more eye contact, Bit looked down at the bodies of the pirates. There were a few more bleeding out near the airlock… and their new security measures.
Bit frowned, looking back up at Oden, her embarrassment completely forgotten.
“What?” Oden asked as he saw the change in her emotions play out on her face.
Bit felt her eyes grow wide as a frightening idea began to take shape in her mind. Without answering his question, she turned for the door and bolted. Bit heard the pounding of boots behind her silent, bare feet. At least Oden had followed her. No doubt the others were staying in engineering in case the pirates weren’t actually dead, much less to begin any repairs needed.
Based on the way the ship grumbled, she had no doubt there were many needed repairs.
Bit reached the living level, noting Blaine and Reese working on the airlock. The men glanced up at their noisy appearance.
“What?” Blaine demanded as Bit whipped around the railing of the staircase and raced up toward the bridge level.
“I don’t know,” panted Oden. “She just took off.”
“Reese, get that damn ship unhooked!” ordered Blaine as he scrambled to his feet and followed.
All this took place as Bit ran up the last flight of steps, past Randal who still sat near the door ready to defend the bridge, and reached the door to the bridge, still locked.
“Captain?” she called.
Bit pressed her ear against the door, listening for anything unusual. Blaine had already reported that all the pirates were down. Why was the door still locked?
“What is it, Bit?” Blaine demanded, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away from the locked door.
“Do you know what the device was that should have prevented them from docking?”
“It was a low-grade, directional blast that was supposed to cripple their coupling hooks if they got within one meter.”
“And who knew about it?”
“We all did,” Oden said.
“No, I mean the specifics. Why didn’t it work? Who put it together?”
“The captain, David, Randal, and I were the only ones who knew the specifics. I’m the one who installed it.”
“I saw Dav…”
A loud bang came from within, cutting off her explanation.”
Blaine and Oden both pushed her away as they pounded against the door.
“Captain!” they called in unison.
“Stand back,” ordered Blaine as he un-holstered his gun.
“That won’t bust that lock,” said Oden as Blaine squeezed off two rounds into the door handle.
The flechettes bullets did little more than bite into the metal of the door.
From within they heard the sound of a scuffle, another rapid firing of a weapon, and muffled cry of pain.
“Captain?” Oden called, uselessly banging his shoulder into the sturdy door.
A second later, the door creaked open. Jack stood on the other side, a handgun gripped in his fingers, while the hand pressed against a seeping wound on the outside of his shoulder. Calen was just scrambling back into the pilot’s chair, his own blood flowing down the side of his face from where a bullet had nearly taken his life. David lay on the floor, three bullet holes visible in his chest in a tight formation that would have made Blaine and Randal proud.
Jack stepped back, letting them all into the bridge.
Without asking, Bit took the knife out of Blaine’s sheath and went to work on Jack’s arm, just as Randal had instructed. When she had his arm wrapped in the remains of his sleeve, she moved to Calen. Oden met her at the pilot’s seat, taking over for Calen. Oden handed her a kerchief, which she pressed against Calen’s head.
“Never thought David would be the jealous type,” Jack said, more to himself than those looking at the mess. “How did you know something was wrong?”
“It was Bit,” explained Blaine as he toed David’s gun away from his limp hand. “She just started running for the door.”
“It didn’t make sense,” Bit said from her place beside Calen. “You all seemed so certain that this device would work, and yet you never said what it was. It seemed the only explanation was that someone was working with the pirates.”
Jack nodded. “Turns out David wanted the company. Thought me too young to take over.”
“Why wait till now?” asked Calen.
“David always was wily. He waited for the right opportunity. It just took longer than he was expecting. I always thought he had been happy to come to the company, to leave Earth.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Bit said before she could stop herself.
“Nice of you to say, but not true.”
The communicator crackled, making them all jump.
“The ship is disconnected,” announced Reese.
“Oden?” Jack asked, turning to the pilot who had taken the controls from Calen.
“Yes, it’s detached. Maneuverability returning.”
“Get us the hell out of here,” Jack ordered before grabbing the communicator. “Reese, release the remaining bombs, set the timer for three minutes.”
They each waited, their breaths unconsciously held. Slowly the minutes ticked by as Oden pushed the ship to its battered limit. Right on cue, the small bombs blew, shaking the freighter and its inhabitants. Bit stumbled against Calen, who willingly wrapped his arms around her waist. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Blaine and Oden eyeing Calen’s hands.
What a disaster, she thought before looking up at the displays.
“They’re not following,” Oden suddenly announced. “Four miles and growing.”
The group let out a collective sigh. Bit carefully released herself from Calen’s grip.
“Let’s get to Mars,” Jack said with a tired sigh.